Chika Anadu’s 'B For Boy' & Biyi Bandele's 'Half Of A Yellow Sun' To US Premiere At AFI Fest

By
Natasha Greeves
|
Shadow and ActOctober 22, 2013 at 1:53PM

AFI FEST 2013 presented by Audi, a program of the American Film Institute, has announced the remaining sections and films that will screen in the festival’s World Cinema, American Independents, Breakthrough, Midnight, Cinema’s Legacy and Presentations programs.

AFI FEST 2013 presented by Audi, a program of the American Film Institute, has announced the remaining sections and films that will screen in the festival’s World Cinema, American Independents, Breakthrough, Midnight, Cinema’s Legacy and Presentations programs.

Skimming through the list I was immediately able to identify 2 films that S&A readers will be familiar with and interested in, especially if you live in Los Angeles, where the AFI FEST is held.

Both films will be making their USA premieres - Biyi Bandele's Half Of A Yellow Sun - a film adaptation of celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Orange Prize-winning novel of the same name - will make its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival; and Chika Anadu's feature film debut, B For Boy, which was developed at the Cannes Cinefondation Residence Programmein Paris, and which made its debut at the BFI in London this year. Look for a post on that project later.

A few weeks ago, we featured Chika Anadu's short film titled The Marriage Factor - a contemporary comedy/drama about a young woman and her marriage-minded mother. Watch it HERE if you missed it.

The short film combines scripted elements, with documentary footage, and dance sequences to tell a tale that many (women, especially, even if you're not Nigerian) will identify with - the pressure one's parents, in this case mothers, put on their daughters to find Mr Right, walk down the isle and eventually give birth to grandchildren.

Anadu's B For Boy feature film debut is described as an elegant realist drama that questions Nigeria’s gender divide as middle-class Amaka resorts to desperate measures after a miscarriage.

Even though I've yet to see B For Boy, I immediately thought of Andrew Dosunmu's Mother Of George, which tells a somewhat similar tale of Nigeria's gender divide, but instead of the lead female character resorting to desperate measures after a miscarriage, she (played by Danai Gurira) resorts to desperate measures in other to give birth.

According to the AFI FEST press release, the World Cinema showcase, which both films are screening under, features the most anticipated and prize-winning international films of the year; while the American Independents section features work by U.S. filmmakers; the Breakthrough section highlights work discovered only through the blind submission process, and the Midnight selections tend toward the macabre and Cinema’s Legacy highlights restorations and classic films.

Expect Tambay to take a much closer look at this year's lineup, highlighting any Diaspora films you should know about.

For the fifth consecutive year, AFI FEST will offer free tickets to all screenings, but only the Cinepass Express will provide priority entry to all regular screenings including all sections announced today, as well as access to the cinema lounge. These and other AFI FEST Passes are on sale now at AFI.com/AFIFEST.

Free individual tickets to AFI FEST screenings and galas will be available to AFI members on Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29 in a 48-hour advance window before they become available to the general public on Wednesday, October 30 and Thursday, October 31. In addition, AFI members at the Two-Star level and above receive a 10% discount on all AFI FEST Patron Packages and Passes. Information about AFI membership is available at AFI.com/membership.

For the 10th year, Audi returns as the festival’s presenting sponsor.

The selections announced today follow below:

WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS (32 titles)This section presents new work by many of the world’s most renowned filmmakers.

Producer and Director Rick Rosenthal brings the famed Whitewater Films roundtable to AFI FEST for a conversation about how micro-budget filmmaking has emerged as the new paradigm for independent filmmakers. The conversation will be followed by a screening of Rosenthal’s micro-budget film DRONES.

DRONES – DIR Rick Rosenthal. SCR Matt Witten. USA.

Michael Stevens presents HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE

Special guests join director Michael Stevens for a panel discussion about the influence of the political cartoons of Herbert Lawrence Block. The conversation will be followed by a screening of Stevens’ HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE.